Friday, July 16, 2004

.......the 'Truce' between the Brits and the IRA came into effect on July 11th , 1921 ; but British soldiers and Officers in Ireland wanted revenge on Irish Republicans for past deeds , but their political leaders in Westminster told them any such action could jeopardise the peace talks - unless of course , such revenge attacks were carried-out in a manner by which it would not be clear who inflicted the injuries on , or caused the death of , the victim.......

It is probably correct to say that Westminster would have instructed its troops on the ground in Ireland that any military action they took would not be ' authorised' : under the terms of the 'Truce' , Irish Republicans , too , were ordered by their own leadership not to take any offensive military action against the Brits but were instructed to continue with military drills and to maintain their contact with , and use of, training camps in their area .

As well as obviously 'keeping the machine oiled' , the drilling and training camps kept the British alerted to the fact that political discussion was but one of the options open to the IRA ; thousands of armed IRA Volunteers took part in the drills and attended training camps throughout the 32 Counties of Ireland . Dozens , if not hundreds, of these Irish Republican activists were on the British 'MOST WANTED' list and had been 'living' underground (ie safe-houses, 'on-the-run' etc) up to the introduction of the 'Truce' - they were now openly walking around ...

...British troops and their colleagues in the Black and Tans , and the Auxiliaries and the RUC were 'chomping at the bit' to get at them , but were ('Officially') restrained from doing so by the terms of the 'Truce' ... but - 'no claim , no blame.....'

(MORE LATER).(...after the holidays!)

WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork , in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.

THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .......

".......we had marched 20 of the 30 miles ; we rested at Ullanes and were fed and , the following afternoon , were marching towards Macroom ......."

" We descended through Carraigaphooca , crossed the main Macroom-Killarney Road and , passing by the old castle, we crossed to the southern bank of the Sullane by the stepping stones . Upwards and to the south-east we crossed the third road to Macroom and passed through Dromonig and Brohaun to reach the southern road from Kilnamartyra to Macroom .

Moving paralel to this road , we reached the hill of Sleibhin on the twilight . Coming out on the road , we marched downhill on its grass margins until we reached the castle boundary wall . Climbing over the wall we dropped noiselessly into the castle grounds . Our scouts now got busy - like shadows they came and went ; we were led expertly forward , each IRA Section to its own position until the whole Column had noved within striking distance of both the castle door and gate .

A tedious and trying operation it was in itself for , apart from the terrace , the ground sloped upwards in front of the castle . Except for a few distant trees it was entirely devoid of shelter . Without doubt , all available cover around the terrace would , in the event of attack , be scourged with rifle-fire . The burning of a loyalist's house was to be the start of the first phase of the operation ; his house was overdue for burning , in any case , not because he was a loyalist but because he was an active agent who nightly entertained the Auxiliaries in the house .

The house would be plainly visible from the castle , and at no great distance from it . It was hoped that a strong party from the castle would rush to the scene to try to save the building ......."

A memorandum for the U S President , drafted by Colonel Oliver North and read by Admiral Poindexter to President Reagan , who initialled it , said - " Prime Minister Peres of Israel secretly dispatched his special adviser on terrorism with instructions to propose a plan by which Israel , with limited assistance from the U S , can create conditions to help bring about a more moderate Government in Iran . As described by the Prime Minister's Emissary , the only requirements the Israelis have is an assurance that they will be allowed to purchase U S replenishments for the stocks that they sell to Iran . The Israelis are also sensitive to a strong American desire to free our Beirut hostages and have insisted that the Iranians demonstrate both influence and good intent by an early release of the five Americans . "

The first U S arms shipment followed in February (1986) but no hostages were released . It was flown to Israel from the U S by 'Southern Air Transport' which also supplied the Contras . Another American crew flew the weapons to Iran on an unmarked Israeli Air Force plane . Adnan Khasshoggi , a Saudi Arabian businessman and arms dealer , financed the deal , raising some of the money from Canadians .......

(MORE LATER).(...after the holidays!)

(Slan go foill anois - we should be back 'on air' on Saturday , 24th July - depending , dontcha know , on the cash flow...)

Thursday, July 15, 2004

.......the Brits were under severe pressure in Ireland ; British General Macready wanted a free hand to 'put manners' on the Irish Rebels - martial law , media suppression , clear the roads of traffic , identity cards etc , but his political masters in Westminster said no , that such measures were too extreme . But that was not the real reason why they refused Macreadys demands .......

The British 'spin' regarding Ireland , their 'Big Lie' , was that the 'Truce' was the 'answer' to the 'Irish Question' : Westminster was not worried about being too harsh on the Irish - if Macready's demands were met , the Brit 'spin' would be blown apart . Questions would be asked as to why such measures were needed when the issue had been , as the Brits were claiming , settled .

Macready's 'wish list' , if implemented , would have led to a fresh wave of American support for the IRA , and the British politicians in Westminster knew it . British King George V , Lloyd George and General Smuts sent-out 'peace signals' to the IRA and those they perceived to be its political leaders or representatives . On 11th July 1921 , a 'Truce' was signed .

But British troops and Officers on the ground in Ireland wanted revenge - they bore grudges against the Republican Movement, but were ordered by their political leaders in Westminster to hold back . Or , at least, to do the next best thing .......

" The energy displayed by the little rivers and the music they made speeded us on our way , past that "charming spot Glanlee ," over the bridge at Inchees , and uphill again to Sillahertane , where with regret we parted from our cheerful 'comrade' , the River Roughty ; he to turn right for Leaca Ban , while we kept on uphill for Coom .

We needed another companion since we had left the river , and the road to Coom was dreary enough . Soon we had him - someone , thinking of the river , sang John Keegan Casey's song , 'Maire My Girl' -

'Over the dim blue hills

strays a wild river ,

Over the dim blue hills

rests my heart ever .

Dearer and brighter than

jewel or pearl ,

dwells she in beauty there -

Maire my girl .'

Other songs followed until the top of Coom was reached . The rest of our journey would be downhill with the Sullane River from its source to almost where it ended in the Lee , just beyond Macroom . We descended Coom , passed along the valley through Coolea and Ballyvourney and halted at Ullanes for tea . After our food , I believe we could have cheerfully faced another twenty miles , but instead we rested .

The following afternoon saw us marching towards Macroom by the least frequented route we could take . Crossing the nearest road to Macroom at Ullanes , we ascended the ridge of Cnoc an Uir and followed the old disused Kerry Road along Ardeen Hill ......."

Mr. Peres despatched his anti-terrorism adviser , Amiram Nir , to Washington later in December 1985 to convince William Casey , CIA Chief , that Mr. Ghorbanifar was in touch with Iranian Officials who could have the hostages freed . At a National Security Council meeting on January 7th , 1986 , Mr. Casey and Admiral Poindexter pressed for resumption of the arms sales . President Reagan agreed .

The U S Secretary of State , Mr. Shultz , and the Secretary of Defence , Mr. Casper Weinberger , did not agree , and from then on they were cut out of the 'Iran Initiative' . On January 17th , President Reagan signed the now famous document approving the secret arms shipments to Iran . Mr. Casey , as Director of the CIA , was ordered not to inform the U S Congress of the operation .

A memorandum for the U S President was to be drafted by Colonel Oliver North and read by Admiral Poindexter to Reagan ....... .

(MORE LATER).(NOTE - for those that were'nt paying attention earlier !: the '1169...' crew are away this Saturday , 17th July , for one week (or longer , depending on 'cash flow...') to Waterford for a wee break . Don't forget and check back with us tomorrow for the usual posts ( and just in case Sharon and 'Junior' have changed their minds and decided to stay in the '1169...' Office .......).

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

....... Ireland 1921 - the Custom House was destroyed , the Dublin Brigade IRA was temporarly put out of action , 'hand-to-hand' fighting in parts of the country between the Brits and the Irish Rebels , "extensive" arms finds by the British .......

.....and , in May and June 1921 , there was over two-thousand engagements between the IRA and the Brits in each month ! In May 1921 , elections were held under the British 'Government of Ireland Act' , and Sinn Fein/Republican candidates who won seats refused to attend the 'Home Rule' Parliament in Dublin .

Also that same month (May 1921) British General Macready wrote a memorandum to the British Cabinet(dated May 24th 1921) in which he stated that a full military victory against the guerrilla forces of the IRA was almost an impossibility ; he suggested the introduction of total martial law , the suppression of all newspapers , the licensing of all public traffic on the roads , identity cards and the suppression of any Irish Republican Parliament !

Macready's political masters in Westminster felt that such measures were too extreme ; in reality , there was one over-riding reason why such an order would not be issued to General Macready .......

(MORE LATER).

WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork , in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.

THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .......

".......fifty of us , all armed , were marching thirty miles to carry-out an operation in Macroom . We were crossing an old bog , when it started to crack and splinter - I warned the lads near me as the bank of the bog threatened to give way ......."

" Then I saw something glitter in one of the cracks , on the 'sound' side of it . I dropped on my knees to examine the object ; it appeared to be made of bronze and a circular segment of it showed through the face of the bank . It was undoubtedly an ancient article and from the portion which showed I concluded that the entire object was a large bowl or cauldron . The topmost edge was but a few inches below ground level , and two of the lads who had remained behind with me grasped the thing and tried to tear it out of the ground .

We failed , and we shouted after the Column to wait for us ; the group halted , and our Brigadier , looking back at us , shouted - "What are ye doing there , Mick ?" "We are trying to dig out a piece of bronz here , Sean . It looks very ancient . I think it is a big bowl or a cauldron ." "An ancient cauldron , ?" he shouted derisively , " some old poteenmakers' pot , most likely !" So saying , he turned about and walked on . Snatching a bayonet , I drove it several times through the mould to get some idea of the dimensions of the vessel . Then we hastened after the Column .

Very soon we were dropping , almost vertically , on to the little railway station at Morley's Bridge . Crossing the railway tracks , the road to Kenmare , and a bridge , we turned left on the road to Ballyvourney . Soon we were marching on a road that led for miles uphill through a bare and rocky glen , and the wildly cascading Roughty River which kept on rushing down to meet us ......."

In November , the CIA shipped arms at the direction of Colonel Oliver North , who was also the U S Administration's Liaison Officer with the Contras , whose cause he supported fervently . There are also reports that Colonel North shipped arms to the Contras via Portugal with the help of the CIA , although the U S Congress specifically prohibited such aid .

Oliver North was also linked with the 'private' supply network organised by General Secord for the Contras ; Portugal says it did not authorise such flights . Robert McFarlane was beginning to have doubts about the 'Iran initiative' in November 1985 and , early in December that year , he recommended that the operation be closed down . He then resigned as the U S President's National Security Adviser and , on December 8th , met Mr. Kimche and Mr. Ghorbanifar in London to tell them of the decision.......

Tuesday, July 13, 2004

.......it was in that same year (1921) that the IRA decided to burn down the centre of British Administration in Ireland ; the Custom House in Dublin . About 120 armed IRA Volunteers were involved in the operation , in May 1921 .......

...the IRA men were scattering the contents of filing-cabinets and other paper work etc onto the floor and pouring petrol on it and the furniture . As the flames caught hold , the alarm had already been sounded in near-by Dublin Castle - "Armed men at the Custom House !" A force of British troops and Auxiliaries hurriedly left Dublin Castle and joined their colleagues , who were coming under fire , around the Custom House .

The gun-fight claimed the lives of two IRA men and forced the surrender of the Dublin Brigade IRA(approximately 120 Volunteers), as they were surrounded and out-numbered by enemy forces .

Also , in 1921 - the Catholic Hierarchy were in full vocal flight in condemning Irish Republicans , a full-scale battle was fought (in March 1921) between Tom Barry's 3rd West Cork Brigade Flying Column and the 17th Brigade of the British Army(an encounter which was described by British General Macready as - "the nearest approach to actual warfare , as contested with ambushes , that has yet occurred .")

In April 1921 , the Brits reported 'finding' "extensive amounts of arms" belonging to the IRA . Indeed , in two months alone during the year 1921 , there was over two-thousand engagements between the two sides in each month .......

(MORE LATER).

WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork , in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.

THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .......

".......we were in Kerry waiting to help the local IRA Volunteers on an operation against the Brits ; an old Kerry man was telling us to carry-on with the fight , to drive the foe from the land , when we were interrupted by the arrival of a messenger ......."

" The IRA Officers with us spoke together for a few minutes , then our Column Leader told us our destination - Macroom , thirty miles to the east by our nearest route . We said good-bye to the good people of Mangerton and immediately we were marching ; keeping to the mountain , we made a bee-line for Morley's Bridge , ten miles to the east . We enjoyed those ten miles over that high and rough ground , for the day was fine and the views of mountain , sea , lake and stream excellent !

As we neared Morley's Bridge we had to cross a bog on a plateau hundreds of feet over the valley we were aiming for - it must have been fairly easy of access from some direction , for some of the bog had been cut away for fuel . The Column marched two deep at a smart rate and kept step with precision . Our Brigadier was with us and set the pace in front ; I was at the extreme end with the Lewis-Gun section , as we marched along the edge of the bank where the turf had been cut to a straight vertical face . The regular beat of the feet falling together and , of course, the combined weight of nearly fifty men caused the bog to shake .

Presently , I noticed a crack run along the ground inside the men in front of us ; it widened as more men stepped on it . I warned the lads near me as the bank threatened to break away ......."

Another Israeli , David Kimche , former head of the Foreign Office and once a high official of Mossad , the intelligene service , met Robert McFarlane in July or August 1985 ; he recommended sending arms to Iran to boost "the moderates" and to release the hostages . There was special emphasis on William Buckley , Beirut CIA . The Iranians were interested in TOW anti-tank missiles . McFarlane said he told President Reagan , who was in hospital recovering from surgery for cancer , and received authorisation for Israel to ship arms .

This is disputed by the White House Chief of Staff , Mr. Donald Regan , and President Reagan does not recall giving prior authorisation for the shipment .

The Israelis shipped the arms and the Reverend Benjamin Weir , a Presbyterian minister , was released .......

Monday, July 12, 2004

.......the Brits encouraged people to believe that the 1921 'Truce' was 'the beginning of the end' of 'the Irish Question' but , in that same year , 128 deaths were recorded in Belfast alone , and British troops in that part of Ireland were being strengthened .......

.....a 'tangent' here , concerning a major incident which took place in May 1921 , weeks before the 'Truce' came into operation ; in late May that year , the IRA decided to burn-down the centre of British Administration in Ireland - the Custom House in Dublin . The Dublin Brigade of the IRA (consisting of approximately 120 Volunteers) moved in on the building during working hours . Positions were taken-up around the Custom House by armed IRA Volunteers , while other (armed) members entered the building , carrying cans of petrol .

The civil servants working in the offices were told to get out , which all did , except for one woman who , having being told to leave immediately (incidentally , she was given that instruction by one of the IRA men who had been active on 'Bloody Sunday' , as the Brits called it , when Michael Collins hit out at British Intelligence operatives) replied - "You can't do that ..."

The IRA man showed the woman his revolver and the can of petrol he was carrying , and she is alleged to have said - " Can I get my hat and coat ?" to which he replied "Lady , you'll be lucky if you get your life ." She left the building immediately .......

(MORE LATER).

WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork , in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.

THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .......

".......our IRA Column consisted of fifty rifle men , with about twenty other IRA Volunteers 'on call' from Macroom ; we had no field pieces , having to make do with small arms and two Lewis-Guns....... "

" In one engagement which lasted for four hours , a section of the Column combined with the Macroom men to a total of only thirty , had put about forty out of ninty British Auxiliaries 'hors de combat' ; the intervention of overwhelming forces of the British regular Army saved the Auxies - we lost no man . Ever present in our minds was the thought that one day we would return to the Auxies the compliment of their often inopportune visits . In other words , we were anxious to give them the pleasure of playing the game of war with us on their own grounds .

Suggestions were invited from Officer and Private alike and all were examined ; the Macroom men were asked to investigate a legend we had heard about - an underground passage between the cellars of the Castle and the river bank . Such a gift was not for us , however , but we would be always welcome at the front door ! Eventually it was the front door that was decided upon , if we could get that far ...

During the second week of May 1921 , the Column left Ballyvourney to assist at the attack on a British Barracks in Kilgarvan , County Kerry ; we arrived in Kilgarvan in the afternoon to find that the Barracks had been evacuated only a few hours earlier . The Kerrymen invited us to stay in the neighbourhood for a few days as there was a prospect of meeting with a strong convoy of British military lorries - we agreed , and stayed at a small village or group of farmhouses on the southern slope of Mangerton Mountain . On Friday morning we had breakfast with these decent people , then we sat with them on the low walls outside their white-washed houses while the sun shone brightly .

We talked of many things , but one old man always brought the conversation back to earth , to the land : he would like to go with us to the good land , and fight for it too . The good land that had been taken from us - the land that would grow the big , strong men . That , the old man said , was the way to undo the conquest of Ireland , to put the people back again on the good land . Time has proved him right , but the wrong has not yet been made right . We were discussing this matter when a local IRA Volunteer arrived with a message ......."

Another man who vouched for Manucher Ghorbanifar , the Iranian arms dealer , was Michael A. Ledeen , a 'Consultant' to General Alexander Haig when he was U S Secretary of State , and later attached to the National Security Council . Mr. Ledeen is a frequent visitor to Israel - in the spring of 1985 he met Mr. Peres . When George Shultz heard about it , he warned Robert McFarlane that Israel had its own interests in Iran and they were not necessarily the same as those of the United States.

Robert McFarlane replied that Mr. Ledeen was acting for himself - Ledeen went back to Israel in July 1985 and there met Mr. Ghorbanifar ; they talked about arms and hostages with the Israelis .

Also interested in arranging an arms deal was Adnan Khasshoggi , a Saudi Arabian businessman and international arms dealer .......

Sunday, July 11, 2004

....... "Sure what more do the Irish want ...?" ; thus the Brits whispered to anyone that would listen to them , as they spread 'the big lie' that the 'Truce' was the end of the 'Irish Question' . In Ireland , however , events said otherwise .......

In Belfast alone , in 1921 , the death toll was 128 ; 13 members of the 'Crown Forces' and 115 civilians (comprising 72 Catholics and 43 Protestants). Needless to say , the Brits were not publicising this part of the 'Irish Question' ...

Much was made of the fact that the British Government had started (very publicly!) to re-arrange their military forces in South , East and West Ireland - orders were issued that all British Troops , Black and Tans and Auxiliaries were to base themselves in major barracks' only , in preparation for withdrawal .

In the 'shadow' of that "major advance" , however , the Brits were arranging to strengthen 'security' in the six north-eastern Counties of Ireland ; British troops were to remain , the RUC and the 'B-Special Corps' were given 26,000 extra rifles and a consignment of First World War uniforms , dyed black .

But 'the big lie' (ie "...sure what more do the Irish want ..?") had taken root .......

(MORE LATER).

WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork , in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.

THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .......

".......it was a gentleman of a British Auxie who questioned my mother as to the whereabouts of "her boys" ; we were only yards away from him , hiding and armed - had he been abusive , we would have shot him dead and suffered the consequences ......."

" We climbed over the garden fence through a narrow gap in the whitethorn hedge , at its junction with the school wall . As we stood on the fence our heads were just almost level with the heads of three Auxies who had climbed by way of a laurel tree in the corner at the other side of the wall . Another half-foot higher and they could have looked down on us , but a branch they were on gave way at that moment .With a crash they fell back in a heap into the school yard ; we slipped off our fence and stole along the wall at right angles to the one they had tried to mount . The language we heard , as they sought to extricate themselves , and the energy expended on it , would, had they thought of it in time , have lifted them to any desired height !

The castle was a veritable fortress as far as our war material was concerned ; given a reasonable time and even a single field piece we could manage it , but we had neither gun nor mortar . Even if we had , we would have had to work quickly , since Ballincollig , with its large forces of mechanised infantry , was only sixteen miles distant . For that matter , every town in the southern counties could send forces against us at short notice .

The IRA Brigade Flying Column was largely drawn from our area and never exceeded a strength of fifty rifle men : with the Macroom area included , our total strength would be about seventy , a small number , but high in quality as fighting men . Our heaviest armament consisted of two Lewis-Guns . Elsewhere I have described some clashes between the Auxiliaries from the castle and our IRA Column ; our men had proved themselves more than the equals of the " war-men of Britain " .......

From 1982 , Israel had been arranging private deals involving the sale of U S arms to Iran . Robert McFarlane , the U S President's National Security Adviser in 1985 , did not know about this and the CIA did not tell him . Mr. McFarlane was poorly informed on many matters ; when he asked the CIA about news reports of Israeli arms shipments to Iran he was told the reports were false . Israel's then Prime Minister , Mr. Shimon Peres , reportedly told the U S there was no such trade ...

Mr. McFarlane also thought that Manucher Ghorbanifar , an Iranian arms dealer who , according to some accounts , had links with Israeli intelligence , was an adviser of the Iranian Government . The CIA distrusted Ghorbanifar and he failed a lie-detector test . But Robert McFarlane , the U S President's Security Adviser , was told none of this .......